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A Year of Firsts: Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the NETRF Research Symposium

This year marked the 10th anniversary of the NETRF Research Symposium. What started as a small and informal gathering of scientific advisors and a handful of NETRF grantees has grown to be the go-to meeting for scientists and clinicians studying neuroendocrine cancers. We were delighted and thrilled to welcome an audience of more than 100 investigators from around the world, that traveled to the beautiful American Academy of Arts & Sciences in Cambridge, MA, USA, to hear experts talk about the latest in NET research.

The 10th anniversary marked also an increase in the length of the meeting, as for the 1st time we went from one day of presentations, to one and one-half days, an increase that underscores the growth of the Foundation and the higher number of grants we have awarded these past couple of years.

Another first was broader content. This year we had several clinical talks and an entire session dedicated to nuclear medicine. While NETRF has been and will continue to be the only conference offering a very robust program in basic and translational research, the recent expansion of our research portfolio to include clinical research, enabled us to offer more clinically-oriented content, a trend that we hope to continue in years to come.

Something truly special about our conference that I personally find remarkable, is that it has consistently been providing a platform for scientists to openly share unpublished data. Both last and this year, I witnessed a unique atmosphere of collaboration, trust, and collegiality, that has helped initiate and maintain many crucial collaborations between cancer investigators. And I was delighted to see that the survey results confirmed this, as almost 90% of the people answered “Yes” to the question “Have you met potential collaborators at the symposium?”.

Generally excellent presentations and the opportunity to meet with colleagues to discuss science that was not presented or published and the opportunity for potential collaborations.

The program and agenda effectively fostered interactions between attendees some of which may result in collaborations.

Other survey numbers showed that 70% and 29% of attendees thought the presentations were excellent, and very good, respectively, and the level of engagement extraordinary. And for this, I can only thank the speakers and NETRF grantees. It is their hard work, focus, perseverance, and dedication to the study of neuroendocrine cancers, that has help make this meeting a success.

Excellent highly educational event, inspiring overview of basic research ongoing in this area, great venue, a great diversity of topics that were organized/coordinated very well.

I thought this was an inspiring meeting! I was so impressed with the result and passion for NET research and the open and collaborative attitude. It was really a pleasure to be able to join the meeting.

NETRF would not be here if not for the many individuals and foundations that have provided and continue to provide generous financial support to help sustain our ambitious research portfolio. And for this we are deeply grateful. Your gifts fund the most innovative proposals and most dedicated investigators and enable the professional advancement of the next generation of leaders in cancer research.

Countless thanks to our Scientific Advisors and Board of Directors for their commitment and dedication to the Foundation, and the NETRF staff, that worked hard to put this event together.

And last but not least, my thanks to you all for helping make our 10th year anniversary a success and see you next year!

Comments

Thank you so much for your research, caring and expertise. In a country that seems obsessed with fund raising for breast cancer research ( a worthy cause) it is reassuring that work is being done for rarer cancers. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.